Stalkers!

Spring is fast approaching us! On this occasion we have special offer for you will! Until March 23, Chernobylite: Enhanced Edition and all DLCs will be available for purchase for 50% off!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1016800/Chernobylite_Enhanced_Edition/

And here’s a list of all DLCs for the game:

• Autumn Dread
  
• Blue Flames
  
• Deadly Frost
  
• Red Trees
  
• White Rose
  
• Zone Bard
  
• Bundle Charity Pack
  
• Soundtrack
  
• The Art of Chernobylite

So if you haven't had a chance to play Chernobylite so far, now is the best time!

There's still more content to come. Check out the roadmap here.




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We started our next mini-series with the profile of General Kozlov. It was just a warm-up. Today we are serving you material of a much larger caliber. We will tell the story of the woman who started it all.

Tatyana Amalieva, 30, born in Murmansk. The fiancée of Igor Chymynuk, who worked with her at the Chernobyl power plant. She disappears on April 26, 1986, the day of the catastrophe, and after almost 30 years appears in Igor's dreams. Why? Has Igor gone mad and experience hallucinations, and Tatyana is one of them? Or is Tatyana alive and sending him a message from another world? Whatever it is, it is very effective - she lures Igor to Pripyat so that he can find answers to all of his questions. The inspiration of Silent Hill 2 is clearly visible here.



Tatyana is anything but a typical damsel in distress. Igor doesn’t try to rescue her from the master villain's hands, only to find out at the end that the princess is in another castle. Tatyana is a fully independent character who haunts Igor in his dreams. And she does it in two guises: one is ephemeral, caring and loving, and it bases her monologue on sentimental memories. The other is the anguished voice of terror coming from the real Tatyana, trapped somewhere between our world and… well, what?

It's hard to tell Tatyana's story without spoilers. Because, unlike Kozlov, this is not a small piece of history, but a powerful and very important plot element of the entire game. That's why we decided to approach her from a completely different angle. We will tell you how Tatyana was "created".




The role of Tatyana was played by our friend Joanna, a model and 2D artist. If you go to the board in Igor's room and look at scraps of newspapers, documents and photos - it's her work. The few who read the end credits know this. The vast majority, in turn, know her as a mysterious woman in a characteristic red dress who loves to play the violin. Although it wasn't obvious at first that it would look like this.

Traveling to Chernobyl was an opportunity for us not only to collect materials for the game, but also to look for inspiration. Being there, equipped with cameras and huge trunks full of clothes, we were looking for identities for key characters in the game. Thanks to this, you can find a lot of photos on our social media, e.g. Black Stalker wandering around Pripyat in full gear. And if you think that dressing a large man in a stalker outfit is a challenge, how about a walk in a dress in the open field at sub-zero temperatures?



Joanna remembers her trips to Chernobyl well, although working there was not easy. All photos had to be taken early in the morning when there is adequate light. It was necessary to get up early, put on a proper dress, put on make-up and with full equipment in the form of cameras and lamps go to the designated place. It is also worth mentioning that at this time of year (we went there between late autumn and early winter) temperatures rarely exceeded zero degrees Celsius. Joanna took off several layers of jackets for the photo session, and after that she quickly put them back on. It was so cold.



She talks more about her experience on site in the video below.



Before Tatyana appeared in the game in a distinctive red dress, the concepts for this character changed like a kaleidoscope. Each subsequent fitting of clothes and new make-ups are further attempts to find an answer to the question of who Tatyana is, or rather who she is supposed to be. You can see the effects of our experiments on the numerous photos and materials we took in Chernobyl. Tatyana in a wedding dress, Tatyana in a ballerina costume, Tatyana in a coat, Tatyana... as Alma from F.E.A.R.



Especially the last image of Tatyana impressed the tourists visiting the Zone. Not necessarily ina a positive way, because we scared them a bit too much and got yelled at by them. But hey, in the end it's all about the good effect.



The photos and videos we took were finally used in the game, as exemplified by the videos displayed on the projector or the photos scattered around the Zone. However, it was the red dress that turned out to be a real game changer. In this outfit, Tatyana is standing among the ruins of the former Chernobyl and playing a wistful melody on her beloved violin. This is exactly the picture we wanted: beautiful, even touching, but on the other hand filled with sadness after the loss. But after losing what? You'll have to find out for yourself.



Take care, Stalkers!




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Recently, we’ve presented you with profiles of Igor's closest companions and himself. So it's time to introduce you, dear reader, to the characters who remain in the background during the game, but are equally important to the story and world of Chernobylite.



Vladimir Kozlov is a complicated person. He and his brothers joined the Soviet army in 1986 when he was 16 years old. A year later, he was a member of a platoon stationed in Afghanistan. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he continued his career in the newly formed Russian army, becoming one of the youngest generals in history. His brothers died during the war in Chechnya. Instead of retiring, he decided to work as head of security for the secret organization called NAR, where he introduced military rigor.



On one hand, Kozlov is an old-fashioned soldier, faithful to duty, devoted to the army and a hard worker. On the other hand he’s hated and adored by his subordinates in equal measure. He expects a meticulous approach to his duties. In fact, he treats every aspect of his life as a task to be performed and is proud of his achievements. In short, he's the stiff type who is there to follow and give orders. He is very ambitious, and at the same time he lacks compassion and understanding of human weaknesses. This flaw is actually a strength as it makes it easier for Kozlov to make morally questionable decisions.

But Kozlov also has a different side. Much gentler, reserved only for the only surviving family member...

We would like to tell you a bit more about Kozlov from the developers' side, but it's hard to share this knowledge without avoiding spoilers. Therefore, if you haven't played the game yet - do it and then come back here 🙂 Otherwise, you’re welcome to keep reading.



Kozlov originated in our minds as a generically evil character; a ruthless general carrying out nasty orders, whose main role was really to keep the secret behind the entire NAR operation and obscure the identity of the game's REAL antagonist. We wanted him to look like a bad guy, but somewhere inside he wasn't. Hence the plot twist involving two key characters in the game.

The recurring theme in Chernobylite’s story is lies. People lie and try to take advantage of you. You lie and try to survive. Kozlov is in the middle of it all; he is a pawn on a chessboard that can have a significant impact if the game is played wisely by the protagonist.

As you will soon find out, Kozlov is not the only complicated character in Chernobylite. We will discover them together one by one with each new report.

Take care, Stalkers!




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Chernobylite not only entertains, but also teaches. You know that before we started working on the game, we had to conduct a massive research. We went through a lot of photos and videos, and had numerous conversations with people knowledgeable about Chernobyl. We also turned to literature for some hard facts and numbers.

We were relying on literature practically all the time, even in the middle of the production. We used various facts from books as references to hidden curiosities in the game. You got to encounter such a reference during a chat with Mikhail. He recollects about his conversation with a strange acquaintance about Moscow's sewers - it was a reference to the book "Strange Telescopes" by Daniel Kalder. And there’s more of that in our game if you pay attention. Today we will share with you the titles of books that helped us a lot, but also should be an addition to the library of anyone interested in the subject of Chernobyl.

"Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster" by Svetlana Alexievich

A reporter's novel from the Nobel Prize winner. Alexievich interviewed more than 500 eyewitnesses over 10 years, including firefighters, liquidators, politicians, doctors, physicists and ordinary citizens. The book recounts the psychological and personal tragedy of the Chernobyl disaster and explores the experiences of individuals and the impact of the disaster on their lives.



"Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters" by Kate Brown

A book about the Cold War era written from a completely different angle. Drawing on official documents and dozens of interviews, Brown describes the stories of Richland, Washington, and Russian Ozersk - the first cities in the world where plutonium was produced. Wanting to hide their secrets, American and Soviet leaders created the eponymous plutopias - communities of nuclear families living in highly subsidized, nuclear cities. In his book, Brown outlines the environmental and social impact of these places on the residents and the surrounding environment.



"Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future" by Kate Brown

Another book from this author. Brown pulls together all the mistakes made by politicians and bureaucrats in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster and their attempts to shrug off responsibility for future consequences. She also adds, among other things, the unwillingness of international diplomats and scientists affiliated with the nuclear industry to explain the causes and consequences of the 1986 event. Decades of research in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, and the same mistakes made by Japanese politicians after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, have proven that we learned nothing.



"Chernobyl Liquidators. The Unknown Story" by Pawel Sekula

Documents, films and photos are not everything. History is also eyewitness to an event. The book is a record of the oral history of Chernobyl liquidators and their families, as well as their personal experiences, feelings and reflections from being called to the site of the tragedy, to working in the shadow of the Chernobyl reactor, to struggling with the daily reality of the USSR after returning home. If you want to get to know the community of liquidators, learn about their living conditions and daily life, this book is a must-have item.



"Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe" by Serhii Plokhy

Another detailed (about 500 pages) record of the Chernobyl disaster site. Plokhy writes the story of the event from the perspective of those who were right in the middle of the incident. It chronicles the collapse of Soviet nuclear power and the Soviet state itself.



"Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster" by Adam Higginbotham

Higginbotham, through numerous interviews with witnesses, as well as access to declassified files and previously unpublished memoirs, presents the unknown story of Chernobyl. He writes about the establishment of the power plant, the lives of the inhabitants of Pripyat, the absurdities of the USSR, the course of the tragedy and its aftermath, and the behind-the-scenes propaganda efforts. It reads like a thriller novel.



"Chernobyl: Confessions of a Reporter" by Igor Kostin

Igor Kostin flew over the power plant on April 26, 1986 just hours after all hell broke loose there. The only photo he managed to take at the time went around the world. Kostin inextricably linked his fate with that of Chernobyl. Shocked by the magnitude of the event, the reporter stayed on the spot to observe the evacuation, talking to people who came into contact with radioactive waste (most of them later died). His book is a remarkable testimony to the disaster, written and photographed by a witness and participant. It contains many unique photographs.



And that's it. We think it's good to take a break from the screen sometimes and grab a good book. So all that remains is to wish you a pleasant reading!

Take care, Stalkers!




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A few months ago we had a plan to introduce you more closely to the profiles of Igor's companions, and in such a way that you won't see in the game. Unfortunately, for reasons beyond our control, we had to suspend the series for a while. Today we are back, because we have another, equally important character to introduce to you.



She is the guardian of the Red Forest. She's tough-minded, direct, honest to a fault, very, very stubborn and fearless. Once she makes a decision, it is very difficult to convince her to change her mind. This is Olga Astapienia, who, together with her stepfather, leads a small group of samosels who bravely fend off attacks by NAR mercenaries.



It is true that the cast of Chernobylite consists overwhelmingly of men. However, contrary to what you can see in the game, from the very beginning we planned to add a female character to the game (not counting Tatyana, who is the driving force behind the whole story). We wanted to show the samosiels as resourceful people who can live in difficult conditions. And their leader should be a strong person whose family went through some hard time in Chernobyl and, like them, decides to stay in these lands and help others. At first, Olga was looked upon with distrust. After all, she is a woman and a stranger from a big city - what can she know about the art of survival? It turns out that she knows quite a lot.



Raised among men, tomboyish, direct, with an almost soldierly manner. She is not an overly gentle girl. Olga meets all the requirements of a leader, although she has never defined herself as such. People follow her and have full confidence in her skills and intentions. She is completely dedicated to her mission and has no time for anything or anyone else. The exception to this rule is her husband Kostek and father Matviey - both of whom she loves very much.



As with the other companions, the character of Olga was also modeled on characters known from history and pop culture: Erin Brockovich, Michonne (Walking Dead), Ruby (Cold Mountain), Black Mamba (Kill Bill), Ellen Ripley (Alien), Furiosa (Mad Max), Trinity (Matrix), Sarah Connor (Terminator).



And that's it! We have completed the presentation of the whole merry bunch. But this is not the end - after all, in addition to the main characters, there are also the supporting ones, equally important to the story in Chernobylite. So expect more entries in the near future.

Take care, Stalkers!




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As promised, in this week’s report we will cover the process of scanning individual objects. If you look at the characters in the game, you'll notice that most of them have fairly standard stalker attire: clothes covering the body (well, except Sashko) and a mask. That second element really stands out. The masks are most distinctive and most associated with post-apo climates. No wonder. Everyone knows that a stalker without a mask is like Chernobylite without multiplayer 🙂 (I expect standing ovation for this joke).

Finding a gas mask, scanning it, and dropping it into the game may seem like a simple task, and to some extent, that is what has occurred. However, for some of the more important masks, adjustments had to be made. You have no idea how much time and work went into creating the Black Stalker mask. A hint: it was a based on a field hockey mask.



We will show you what we are talking about using Tarakan as an example. His mask does not resemble anything you would find in a survivalist store. It's quirky, slightly elongated and features horns. That's exactly how we wanted it to be. The mask was supposed to capture the complex personality of Tarakan; a man who’s been through a lot and has seen a lot in his life. There was one problem however: the mask was supposed to be based on a World War I era specimen and we simply couldn’t order it anywhere. Luckily, we were able to recreate its distinct look, thanks to the concepts found on the Internet (photos and drawings).

The mask was sewn from pieces of non-organic leather and a gas mask.






The next step was creating the horns. These were made from a plastic mass. As you can see in the photo, we had the right reference materials for this ;)



The horns were then painted, first with colors and then with old nail gel. Finally, the whole thing was fixed with UV light.

All in all, the whole operation - creating the mask, the horns, as well as sewing the hood and adding the distinctive white hair to the costume - took about a month. When the mask was complete we scanned it into the game. If you are curious to see what the whole process looked like in motion, feel free to watch this video :)

Take care, Stalkers!




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We have repeatedly discussed the process of scanning the buildings within the Zone, as well as their interiors. However, we don't recall ever mentioning how we transferred the people themselves into the game. So it's time to catch up. We will describe step by step how a person existing in reality gets into Chernobylite.

To scan the character we use a device commonly called a RIG, which consists of:

• 114 Canon cameras with zoom lenses
  
• a stable rack of aluminum tubes, forming a circle with a diameter of 4 meters
  
• flash lamps
  
• devices responsible for controlling the scanning process, i.e. hubs, automatic synchronization
  
• computers that collect and process data

Why do we need so many cameras? By mounting them on a rack, we can fine-tune the field of view and overlap of each camera's images. This allows us to pinpoint areas of interest within the frame for a specific pose. Based on the collected data, an accurate 3D model can be obtained for further processing. This process is what we call photogrammetric scanning.



The scanning process itself differs depending on whether we are scanning the whole figure or the face alone. We position a female or male model at a designated stand within an installation consisting of aluminum tubes and cameras. The individual can stand in the middle of the facility in their regular attire....



...or in full costume, as our primary models did.



The models differ in their physiques, so care must be taken to properly frame the cameras under each person. The next step is Focus, which means sharpening the image and triggering all the cameras at once while flashing.

After a single "firing", the process of downloading the data to the computer's disk begins - these are images from each camera and saved in RAW format. Then graphic processing takes place (for example, in a Lightroom). The processed and saved images (as JPG) are then imported into a photogrammetric application that allows the creation of ultra-realistic 3D models from a set of images (RealityCapture or Agisoft Metashape). This is where the magic happens: based on the collected materials, the program is able to create a HiPoly mesh, a dense detail mesh with a faithful representation of the image.

At this stage, the 3D scan is taken over by the graphic designer responsible for the game's characters, who optimizes the mesh to a simpler form so that it can be more easily used, for example, when creating animations.




This is how it’s done. Stay tuned next week, and we'll show you how the unusual mask of one of the companions was created.

Take care, Stalkers!




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Before we begin, we have a small announcement for you. The Base Builder Fest has begun! If you haven't yet had a chance to play Chernobylite or any of the DLC we've released, now is the perfect time! The game and add-ons are available for 50% off!



You can find more details in the post below:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3673282587167465603?l=polish

And while we're on the subject of building bases, we have to admit something. When we were getting ready to announce another discount, we did a little research. We wanted to see how you guys decorate your bases and include the best of them in the announcement above. However, looking through your screenshots, we came to the conclusion that they are too good to include in any ad. Therefore, we will promote them in our report instead :D

We will start very modestly, just like Cuddletauren. There may not be a lot of ornaments and objects, but the most important things - a turntable and a small TV - are in place as much as possible.



And on the other side is Epsilon and his fully furnished apartment. And yes, we're not afraid to say "apartment," because this frame looks like it was pulled alive from some home decor catalog.



marc_ea firmly and resolutely separates the work in the workshop....



...from the duty of tending his garden.



YURIKAGO, on the other hand, acted differently: he fenced off his workstation and the place for plants with a net. Maybe there is less space because of this, but it is also more cozy. And also you can break away from the computer for a while to look after the plants.



And to top it all off, REAPER and its RGB climate base!



And that's all! If you want to learn more about the history of the Chernobylite base, we encourage you to read the following report :)

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1016800/view/3501014738141094819?l=polish

Take care, Stalkers!




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Stalkers!

We know very well that among you there are fans of crafting and expanding the base. Dwellings, gardens, workshops - we have seen a lot of your ideas on how to change the base in Chernobylite. Therefore, on the occasion of Base Builder Fest, we have a special offer for you!

From January 23-30 you will be able to buy Chernobylite: Enhanced Edition for half price!



But that's not all! The 50% discount also applies to all DLC for the game:

• Autumn Dread
  
• Blue Flames
  
• Deadly Frost
  
• Red Trees
  
• White Rose
  
• Zone Bard
  
• Bundle Charity Pack
  
• Soundtrack
  
• The Art of Chernobylite

If you haven't had a chance to play Chernobylite until now, now is the best time! Play Chernobylite with DLCs, build your base and don't forget to show off your results!

But that's not all! In our Steam Points Shop you will find new graphics - avatars, frames and backgrouds with the Chernobylite theme that you can buy with your Steam Points!

There's still more content to come. Check out the updated roadmap here.




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The third week of the new year has passed, and we are slowly going back to reality. However there are a few unfinished matters from the past year to sort out, so it's time to handle it. Lately, you've been inundating us with lots of questions, and we've been trying to answer them all. It's not an easy task, especially given the multitude of channels through which you reach us. Therefore, we decided to collect the most important questions and answer them here and now.

It is true that we originally announced the release of Season 4 for the fourth quarter of last year. However, in the course of our work, several things happened that we needed to address urgently. One topic in particular occupied our attention. What was it? That we can't reveal yet ;)

Nevertheless, to avoid any suspicions, we immediately inform you that the release of Season 4 will take place later this half-year. Our roadmap has been updated and you can also be sure that we will gradually reveal the contents of the new package in the coming reports.

So as you can see, Season 4 will be available a little later than we planned. But we think it will be worth the wait. Especially because along with Season 4 we are preparing something else for you. But on this subject we are silent as if under a spell for now.

We receive from you technical questions related to the game no less than questions about Season 4. It's good that you let us know about the problems you have with the game - we are always ready to analyze all reports and fix bugs. However, we are not able to catch all the submissions. The reason for this is that you write to us about them EVERYWHERE. Twitter, Messenger, Discord, or even messages on Instagram. It is not uncommon in messages we receive from you, for technical issues to be raised, but they are most simply lost in the maze of inquiries on various topics related to the game and not only.

Therefore, we have a request to you to report all problems with the game, errors and bugs to us in a dedicated forum on Steam. This is a great convenience for us, because all the reports are in one place. And our team is constantly reviewing all the posts submitted by you.

Chernobylite released, Season 4 along with a surprise on the way. So more and more questions are being asked about what's next: what are our plans for the future? Will the Chernobylite project be further developed? Are we planning a sequel?

Probably the easiest and quickest way to answer all these questions is as follows: it is far too early to say anything about it. Which doesn't mean that we are sitting in our chairs and picking our noses ;) We are doing something there, we are planning something here. But what will come out of it in the end?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Please, stay tuned ;)

Take care, Stalkers!




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